AIATSIS Chair Professor Mick Dodson, Binninj ceremonial elder Ronald Lamilami, Australian film maker Kevin Lucas and Yolngu ceremonial elder Djakapurra Munyarryun at Reconciliation Place in Canberra – Photo courtesy Andrew Turner (AIATSIS).
Big Bill Neidjie - who passed away in 2002 - was the keeper of ancient knowledge and the last remaining Gagudju-speaking member of his Bunitj clan. He was instrumental in establishing Kakadu as a National Park so that it could be managed as a wild area and as a resource to be shared by all Australians. He received an Order of Australia Medal in 1989 for services to conservation.
The announcement to stage the Aboriginal Bone Ceremony in the Nation’s Capital was made during a visit to Canberra today by a special delegation from Arnhem Land including Yolngu ceremonial elder Djakapurra Munyarryun, Binninj ceremonial elder Ronald Lamilami and AIATSIS Chair, Professor Mick Dodson AM.
This culturally significant ceremony will kickoff celebrations to officially launch the 50th anniversary of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) on 25 March at Reconciliation Place in Canberra.
Led by Djakapurra Munyarryun, internationally acclaimed Yolngu ceremonial elder and former cultural consultant/dancer to Bangarra Dance Theatre, the ancient ceremony will also feature traditional custodians and Bill Neidjie’s son, Jonathan Nadji. The Ceremony also encompasses the handover to AIATSIS of the world heritage listed 35mm footage of the final funerary rite and Bone Ceremony of Big Bill Neidjie, held at Hawke Dreaming in Kakadu National Park in 2005. The man whom the Elders approved to capture the ceremony, Australian film maker Kevin Lucas, said it was the first time it had ever been filmed.
“Bill’s funeral ceremony extended over several years and the Bone Ceremony, which we captured, is how it was done in old times, is a ceremony for men of high-degree,” said Kevin.
“The footage has World Heritage value because it holds what we call an intangible culture asset and the Neidjie family and the community entrust AIATSIS to provide a secure and tangible home for the original footage, which remains the property of the Neidjie family.” The AIATSIS Council Chairperson, Professor Mick Dodson said the free event will be a rare opportunity for Australians to see a very special and timeless ceremony never before performed off country. “This culturally important ceremony is a story emanating from the oldest continuing organised societies in the world and highlights the important role of AIATSIS in maintaining our culture, histories and stories for the benefit of us all. “Over the past 50 years, AIATSIS has become an entrusted organisation as the nation’s keeping place of Australia’s Indigenous cultural heritage and stories, and we have strengthened our relationship with communities through highly ethical community-based research in fields relevant to them.
“I am really proud of the achievements and milestones AIATSIS has reached in its 50 year journey and invite everyone to take part in our celebrations throughout 2014,” said Professor Dodson. Speaking on the significance of the ceremony, Djakapurra Munyarryn noted that it would continue the journey that the Kakadu Man, the great Bill Neidjie started many years ago. “We are doing this for that old man - it was his vision. That’s what he wanted; to teach about our ways and pass that onto Indigenous and non-Indigenous. That’s what he gave us. That’s what we pass on in this ceremony. It’s that Old Man’s story,” he said.
This year marks 50 years since AIATSIS was established under an Act of Parliament in 1964. Today, AIATSIS preserves the world’s most extensive and unique collections of materials relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures.
Photographs or more information available from AIATSIS Media and Communications: Commsmedia@aiatsis.gov.au
Binninj ceremonial elder Ronald Lamilami and Dr Lisa Strelein discuss AIATSIS and the 50th anniversary in this audio story by The Wire.
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